Tray for use in sealing capillary tubes

ABSTRACT

An integral sealant containing tray and capillary tube classification and holding system for use in sealing the ends of a plurality of capillary tubes. The capillary tube holding system also forms lateral support for the tray to inhibit tipping of the tray during use and the tray is provided with a convenient handle tab.

United States Patent Deuschle 1 5] Jan. 23, 1973 54 TRAY FOR USE INSEALING 3,135,383 .6/1964 Bloch ..206/75 CAPILLARY TUBES 3,441,3834/1969 Moore et a1 ..23/292 3,219,421 11/1965 Schwartz, Jr. et a1...23/292 1 lnvemori Fl'ltz Deuschle, LOWS, 3,351,210 11/1967 Murcott..211/74 Assigneez Sherwood Medical Industries Inc. 3,416,361 12/1968Asnes et a1 73/61 R 22 i N 24 1970 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 21AppL NOJ 92 432 1,116,157 6/1968 Great Britain ..2l1/60 R PrimaryExaminer1 .eonard Summer US. Cl. A[t0rney H fgren Wagner Allen Stellman& MC-

21 1/60 R Cord [51] Int. Cl. ..B65d 1/36, B011 9/00, B65b 7/16 [58]Field of Search ..206/72; 23/259, 292; 73/61, [57] ABSTRACT 73/641; 211/60 69 An integral sealant containing tray and capillary tubeclassification and holding system for use in sealing the [56] d ends ofa plurality of capillary tubes. The capillary UNITED STATES PATENTS tubeholding system also forms lateral support for the tray to inhibittipping of the tray during use and the 3,234,593 2/1966 Lerner 6t 31...206/72 UX tray is provided with a convenient handle tab 1,822,4879/1931 Hill ..206/72 3,589,511 6/1971 Britt ..206/72 UX 7 Claims, 5Drawing Figures 1 TRAY FOR USE IN SEALING CAPILLARY TUBES BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates tocapillary tube sealant trays.

2. Description of the Prior Art Capillary tubes are used for collectingblood samples to be centrifuged. Two specimens in separate capillarytubes are collected from each patient and one end of each tube is thensealed by forcing it into a mass of sealing compound and leaving it inthe compound until it is ready to be centrifuged. Normally a number ofpairs of specimens from different patients will be run at the same timecreating a problem of identification of the tubes in the sealingcompound especially if the tubes are in close proximity to each other.Identification becomes increasingly more difficult as the tray full .of

compound is being filled with the capillary tubes. When a loaded tray ofsealing compound is accidentally dropped, identification can becomeimpossible and often even without dropping the tubes may fall out or bemoved from their original location due to inadequate tube retention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a new and usefulcapillary tube sealant tray. The tray contains a supply of sealantmaterial of putty-like consistency and has a laterally extending portionof the tray which is provided with a system for holding capillary tubesin identifiable positions. Usually the holding system will include apair of tube receivers adjacent each identified position for holding andidentifying a pair of specimens collected from a single patient.

In a preferred form the tray will hold sealed duplicate capillary tubesin an area separated from the work area and in a positively identifiablemanner, leaving the work area free. Because the capillary tubes are heldin a printed and clearly identifiable area, the possibility ofspecimen-patient mix-up has been eliminated. A large tab can be providedat one end of the tray, useful for receiving advertising matter, as aconvenient handle for accident-free transporting of the tray. Further,in the preferred form, the effective base or footing area of the tray isincreased by the bottom surfaces of the laterally extending holdingsystem minimizing the possibility of tray tippage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of acapillary tube sealant tray showing positions of the capillary tubes andthe condition of the mass of sealant in the tray after having used thetray to seal a plurality of capillary tubes;

' FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the tray shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section alongline.2.-2 of FIG. 2, showing detailsof a capillary tube receiver;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side view of the tray shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged end view of the tray shown in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As seen in FIG. 1 the preferredform of the invention is a tray indicated generally by reference numeral12 which is an integral one-piece molded plastic body. The tray 12 has acontainer portion 14 and a laterally extending capillary tube holdingand identification system in the form of a top lip flange 16 havingvertically extending tube holder cavities 18 formed as depressions inthe lip flange 16. The tube holder cavities 18 are formed in twoopposite lateral sides or portions of the lip flange 16 as depressionstherein and pairs of the cavities 18 are interconnected by canals 20which extend outwardly generally perpendicular to the side edges of thecontainer portion 14. The cavities 18 can be considered as enlargementsin the canals 20 and it will be noted that the canals 20 on each side ofthe tray are generally parallel to each other and each includes two ofthe enlargements or cavities 18 The side walls of the canals 20 areformed by lands 22b, 22a and 22c respectively. The portion of the canal20 formed by lands 22a connects the innermost cavity 18 with thecontainer portion 14 while the lands 22c form a portion of the canal 20extending beyond the outer cavity 18 in each pair. The lands 22b form aportion of canal 20 interconnecting the cavities 18 of each pair. Eachpair of cavities l8 and its corresponding canal 20 is identified byidentification marks 24 in the form of a different number for eachcavity pair.

Within the container portion 14 there is provided a mass of putty-likecapillary tube sealant material 26. As best seen in FIG. 1, a pluralityof capillary tubes, each identified by reference numeral 28, can besealed by forcing the end of each tube into the plastic mass of sealant26, removing the tube and placing the tube vertically in a cavity 18.Each tube pair from a single patient is placed in a correspondingidentified pair of cavities 18' associated with the same canal 20, toproperly separate and identify the pairs of the capillary tubes.

As best seen in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the bottom wallsof the canals 20 andcavities 18 extend outwardly from the bottom wall of container portionI4, generally coplanar therewith, to form a plurality of laterallyextending footings or support ribs 30 which increase the effectivelateral support area of the tray and minimize lateral tipping. As anadditional feature, shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, there is provided ahandle-tab 32 as a' portion of flange 16 at one end of the containerportion 14. The handle-tab 32 is useful in graspingand transporting thetray and is also useful for receiving advertising matter or otherindicia.

' Y The device of this invention can easily be molded as an integralplastic member. It is advantageously useful for receiving a mass ofsealing compound in the container portion and can be. used to seal endsof blood samples containing capillary tubes so they can be centrifuged;The device is particularly adapted to hold and identify two separatecapillary tubesfrom each patient. The trays structure minimizes spillageand droppage from the tray.

Although there has been shown in the drawings and has been describedherein in detail one specific embodiment of the invention, it is to beunderstood that the invention is susceptible of embodiment in manydifferent forms and the description of the one specific emlimit thespirit and scope of the invention.

I'claim:

1. A tray for use in sealing the end of capillary tubes which comprisesa container portion of the tray for containing a supply of sealingcomposition, and a laterally extending top flange including a pluralityof depressed canals generally parallel to each other and extendinglaterally from the tray portion, each of said canals including at leastone vertically extending enlargement for separately receiving andholding a capillary tube.

2. The tray of claim 1 wherein a separate and different number isprinted on the top flange adjacent each canal for specificallyidentifying each canal.

3. The tray of claim 1 wherein said canals extend at two opposite sidesof the container portion.

4. The tray of claim 1 wherein said canals have walls integral with thetop flange and define laterally extending support ribs on the bottom ofthe top flange extending down to the plane of the tray bottom forminimizing lateral tipping of the tray.

5. The tray of claim 4 wherein said canals extend laterally outwardlyfrom two opposite sides of the container portion.

6. vThe tray of claim 1 wherein each of said canals includes twovertically extending enlargements for separately receiving and holdingtwo capillary tubes.

7. The tray of claim 6 wherein each canal extends between its twoenlargements and laterally beyond the second or most lateralenlargement.

is a e t a

1. A tray for use in sealing the end of capillary tubes which comprisesa container portion of the tray for containing a supply of sealingcomposition, and a laterally extending top flange including a pluralityof depressed canals generally parallel to each other and extendinglaterally from the tray portion, each of said canals including at leastone vertically extending enlargement for separately receiving andholding a capillary tuBe.
 2. The tray of claim 1 wherein a separate anddifferent number is printed on the top flange adjacent each canal forspecifically identifying each canal.
 3. The tray of claim 1 wherein saidcanals extend at two opposite sides of the container portion.
 4. Thetray of claim 1 wherein said canals have walls integral with the topflange and define laterally extending support ribs on the bottom of thetop flange extending down to the plane of the tray bottom for minimizinglateral tipping of the tray.
 5. The tray of claim 4 wherein said canalsextend laterally outwardly from two opposite sides of the containerportion.
 6. The tray of claim 1 wherein each of said canals includes twovertically extending enlargements for separately receiving and holdingtwo capillary tubes.
 7. The tray of claim 6 wherein each canal extendsbetween its two enlargements and laterally beyond the second or mostlateral enlargement.